Wish You Were Here and The Searcher (Day 14/365)

Happy Friday everyone! Thank goodness it is Friday. No school for the kids today, so we are just relaxing at home. At least this is the plan. It also seems like a good time to read. Speaking of reading, I finished 2 books that I received for Christmas from my sister's girlfriend Cecilia. They were both really good so I thought I would share in case you were looking for something to read this weekend.

First up, last week I read Jodi Picoult's new novel, Wish You Were Here. 

FROM THE BACK COVER: Diana O’Toole is perfectly on track. She will be married by thirty, done having kids by thirty-five, and move out to the New York City suburbs, all while climbing the professional ladder in the cutthroat art auction world. She’s an associate specialist at Sotheby’s now, but her boss has hinted at a promotion if she can close a deal with a high-profile client. She’s not engaged just yet, but she knows her boyfriend, Finn, a surgical resident, is about to propose on their romantic getaway to the Galápagos—days before her thirtieth birthday. Right on time.

But then a virus that felt worlds away has appeared in the city, and on the eve of their departure, Finn breaks the news: It’s all hands on deck at the hospital. He has to stay behind. You should still go, he assures her, since it would be a shame for all of their nonrefundable trip to go to waste. And so, reluctantly, she goes.

Almost immediately, Diana’s dream vacation goes awry. Her luggage is lost, the Wi-Fi is nearly nonexistent, and the hotel they’d booked is shut down due to the pandemic. In fact, the whole island is now under quarantine, and she is stranded until the borders reopen. Completely isolated, she must venture beyond her comfort zone. Slowly, she carves out a connection with a local family when a teenager with a secret opens up to Diana, despite her father’s suspicion of outsiders.

In the Galápagos Islands, where Darwin’s theory of evolution by natural selection was formed, Diana finds herself examining her relationships, her choices, and herself—and wondering if when she goes home, she too will have evolved into someone completely different.

MY THOUGHTS: I have read a few of Picoult's works in the past and I know that they are usually really emotional reads and take a lot out of me when I am reading them. I had never heard of this book and so went into reading it completely blind. I was a little apprehensive as it is set in 2020 New York City just as the pandemic is getting started and gaining speed. She explores the isolation, dread, decision making that we each have had to make in the light of the COVID filled world and the impact those decisions make and how our lives will never be the same again. I don't want to give away too much of the plot, however I will say that I did not expect the way the story was going to go. Saying that I will say that I absolutely LOVED, LOVED, LOVED this book. I would highly recommend this book and would give it a 5 out of 5 stars!

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This week I read another book that Cecilia got me for Christmas. I had never heard of Tana French and this style of book (Crime fiction/ suspense) is not typically something I would gravitate toward. However, I am trying to expand my reading tastes so figured I would give this book a try. Cecilia gifted me with Tana French's The Searcher.

FROM THE BACK COVER: Cal Hooper thought a fixer-upper in a bucolic Irish village would be the perfect escape. After twenty-five years in the Chicago police force and a bruising divorce, he just wants to build a new life in a pretty spot with a good pub where nothing much happens. But when a local kid whose brother has gone missing arm-twists him into investigating, Cal uncovers layers of darkness beneath his picturesque retreat, and starts to realize that even small towns shelter dangerous secrets.

MY THOUGHTS: Again, I will say that this book exceeded my expectations. I had never read anything by or even heard of author Tana French. I usually do not like crime/ suspense books due to gore or the fact that I can figure out who done it pretty quickly. French however kept me entertained, second guessing myself, and not really figuring things out until the end. I loved her descriptions of the Irish countryside and how life moves in those areas. I love how she incorporates Irish country language (which having grown up with immigrant Great-Grandparents from Ireland was not always politically correct or clean) into her book.  I have seen some reviews where others have said that the plot is slow-moving, but I think that that is part of what makes it work. It goes along with that way of life, kind of meandering along with twists and turns and underlying twists and not seeing things that are coming around the bend. I really did enjoy the pace and the visualizations and ultimately the journey that French took her readers on in The Searcher.  I would give this book a 4 out of 5 stars. 

So, there you have it. I would recommend both Jodi Picoult's Wish You Were Here and Tana French's The Searcher as good reads. I think I might read Michelle Obama's book Becoming next. We are supposed to get some snow, maybe, this weekend so it seems like a good way to relax. What are you reading now? Have you read any of these books that I mentioned? If so, what did you think of them?